


A Time for Family

by WorryinglyInnocent



Series: Lab Nights [6]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Aunt Elvira - Freeform, Bonus Sea Devil, F/M, Festive fic, Fluff, Lab Nights 'verse, bonus swanfire, seriously this is just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 19:20:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17065586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/pseuds/WorryinglyInnocent
Summary: It’s the annual Lab Nights ‘verse Christmas fic! At some point I will have to stop writing these but this year is not that year.The Gold family gather for Christmas alongside all their friends from the hospital, and welcome Emma into their celebrations for the first time. Set four years after part five, with bonus Sea Devil and Swanfire!





	A Time for Family

**Author's Note:**

> As a reminder, this AU is set in the UK.

“So, tell me again who’s going to be at this Christmas party? I don’t want to get confused.”

Bae racked his brains to remember. It was the first time in several years that none of the extended hospital family were working on Christmas Day, and to celebrate such a momentous occasion, Aunt Elvira had decided to host a huge Christmas dinner, with everyone invited.

“My dad and step-mum, my half-sister, my great-aunt, my godmother and her girlfriend, my dad’s best friend and _her_ girlfriend, and the cat. Oh, and you and me, of course.” He paused. “It’s not too late to back out if you want to. I’m sure that somewhere will be open and we can get a last-minute turkey. Or Chinese.”

Emma shook her head, the antlers on her headband waving wildly as she put her coat on. “No way. I’m looking forward to a traditional family Christmas.”

“It’s not exactly traditional. I’m fairly sure that most families don’t have quite so many unrelated lesbians around the table. Dad and I are going to be completely outnumbered by women. Even the cat’s a girl!”

Emma gave a snort of laughter and kissed his cheek before they stepped out into the biting cold December air. It was his fourth Christmas in a committed relationship with Emma, and their second Christmas of living together. Knowing that Emma had no family of her own to spend the holidays with, they’d spent last year alone together, celebrating finding an apartment that they didn’t have to share with roommates. This year, though, Emma had wanted to accept Aunt Elvira’s invitation and experience a large family Christmas, since the Golds had more or less adopted her with open arms as one of their own – especially Elvira, who was never happier than when she had someone else to cook for.

“So, they all work in medicine?” she asked.

“Yes. Well, Ursula’s a marine veterinarian so I’m not sure she counts. And Rosie’s only just started school. And the cat, obviously. We’ve got two nurses, one retired nurse, two pathologists and an NHS financial manager.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “How the hell did you end up becoming an architect?”

X

“Belle, sweetheart, there’s really no need to be nervous.”

Belle did not stop her pacing up and down the dining room, occasionally twitching a napkin or adjusting a place setting, and Rum sighed.

“Look, you’ve met Emma plenty of times before, it’s not like you have to make a good first impression.”

“I know, but this is different.”

“How?”

“This is Emma’s first big family Christmas, and it’s got to be perfect.”

“Belle, if there’s one thing that I’ve learned during my time on this earth, it’s that there is no such thing as a perfect Christmas. The sooner you accept that, the easier today is going to be. Something is bound to go wrong, but that’s all part of Christmas, and no-one will mind, and everyone will have a good laugh about it.”

Belle finally came to a stop, her shoulders slumping. Rum came over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“It’s going to be fine,” he said. “I promise. There is no perfect family Christmas. There’s only our family Christmas, which in its very nature will be perfect. Now, I think I can hear Ella and Ursula arguing in the driveway, so let’s go and let them in, and check that Rosie hasn’t accidentally poisoned us all in her efforts to help Aunt Elvira make the Christmas dinner.”

They left the dining room, where they had escaped to for a few minutes’ peace and quiet after the chaos of Rosie opening her first few Christmas presents and before the guests arrived for lunch. It was time for Christmas to really begin.

X

“You can’t be serious. Eggnog is the most disgusting concoction ever to be concocted and you want to make it even worse by adding gin?”

“Gin improves everything, darling.” Ella checked her make-up in her compact mirror as she waited for the door to be opened, paying no attention to her partner’s despairing looks.

Ursula sniffed. “It’s a waste of perfectly good gin if you ask me.”

“Well, you’re designated driver for today, so you don’t have to worry, do you?” Ella smiled sweetly and Ursula rolled her eyes. Thankfully, at that moment the door opened. There was a bit of a kerfuffle when it came to actually getting through the door and into the house, because Rosie had bene the one to greet their guests and she’d had to get a step-stool in order to reach the latch; in the end Belle had to rush to the rescue to prevent the hallway turning into an obstacle course.

“Hello ladies,” she said eventually, once everyone was inside and divesting themselves of coats. “Can I get you a drink to warm you up?”

Ella grinned broadly at the prospect. “Is there any possibility of a G&T?”

Belle gave her a look. “Aunt Elvira lives here. We are always plentifully supplied with G&T.”

They made their way into the dining room and Belle set about mixing drinks. Just as everyone had a glass in their hand and they were about to raise a toast, the doorbell went again and Regina and Mal were welcomed into the fray.

Sipping her gin, after exchanging greetings of the season with the newcomers, Ella wondered just how they had all ended up becoming such good friends. They’d all been working at the same hospital together for longer than Ella cared to remember, but she’d never really known how they’d managed to find each other and stay so close. Mal and Gold obviously worked in the same department, and Ella and Mal had dated briefly once upon a time before deciding that they were better off as friends, and now they were one big happy family.

Rosie was darting in and out of the adults’ legs, as excited as any self-respecting four-year-old ought to be on Christmas Day, and after the third time she’d scrambled up onto the window seat and tweaked back the voile modesty curtains, Ella realised that she was looking out for Bae and Emma.

Ursula caught the direction that she was looking in and gave her a stern look.

“You’re not going to embarrass Emma,” she warned.

“I entertained no thoughts of doing anything of the sort!” Ella exclaimed with mock hurt. Although, that said, she was probably going to have to tone down her sense of humour a bit. It was all right when it was just the hospital family group – everyone was used to each other’s ribbing and everyone had been on the receiving end of Ella’s wicked tongue more than once. She knew that once they all got together, they could be lethal to the outsider. She remembered Belle’s reaction the first time that she’d been in a room with Gold, Ella, Ursula, Regina and Mal, and she really didn’t want to sabotage what was likely Bae’s future marriage because she couldn’t keep her double entendres under wraps for one evening.

“Bae’s here!” Rosie squealed as a taxi pulled up outside the house, and she rushed off to gather the step stool and let her beloved older brother into the house.

“Excellent, everyone’s here now.” Elvira bustled into the dining room, waving her tea towel. “The turkey was about to be overdone.”

Bae and Emma were shown into the room with enthusiastic fanfare from Rosie, and through no fault of her own, Ella found herself being seconded into helping Belle and Elvira carry dishes of food through from the kitchen to the dining room. Ella’s stomach was growling just from the smell of it. She’d known for years that Aunt Elvira was a fantastic cook, back from the very first time that she’d sampled her Christmas cake when Gold had smuggled some into the hospital.

Everything made it to the table in one piece, despite Elvira almost tripping over Patches the cat, who was hanging around in the doorway hoping that the turkey would fall off its tray and she could have the entire thing to herself. At last, everyone was seated, steam rising off the dishes.

In her customary place at the head of the table, the matriarch of their extended and unconventional family, Elvira paused with the carving knife and fork in her hands, ready to plunge them into the ridiculously large turkey with all the precision of the surgeons.

“Before we begin, I want to say a couple of words,” she said. “It’s so rare for everyone to be here, together, at Christmas time. I want to say welcome to Emma, and I hope you enjoy what will, hopefully, be the first of many Christmases to come here. We’ve all been through so much in the time that we’ve known each other, but as long as I see you all around my table at Christmas, I know that everything that’s happened has been worth it to bring us all together. So, _Nollaig Chridheil_ to you all, and let’s eat.”

 _“Nollaig Chridheil,”_ Gold echoed. Ella didn’t even try; she’d mangled Gaelic enough times during her friendship with Gold that she knew not to attempt it on a stomach empty of anything except gin. She remembered a New Year’s Eve in the pathology department, her and Gold and Mal sitting in the break room drinking non-alcoholic eggnog and singing Auld Lang Syne. She was never usually one for being sentimental, but the memory always made her smile. Elvira was right. They’d known each other for so long and seen so much, and the addition of Christmas cheer always made everything better.

X

The evening was drawing to a close. It had been a riotous afternoon of present-opening, but ultimately, it had been a success. Rosie was already in bed, sound asleep, the adrenaline kick of Christmas finally worn off. Regina and Mal had departed, ready for Mal to start work at half past six in the morning, and the living room was feeling like slightly less of a squeeze. Even though there were spare seats now, Belle was still sitting on Rum’s lap. She liked it there, he had a very comfortable lap, and he had made no indication that he wanted her to move.

Belle glanced over at Emma and Bae. Although she had gone out of her way to try and make Emma feel welcome and part of the family – at this stage Emma _was_ part of the family, whether she realised it or not – Belle had been worried that she’d feel left out in amongst all the in-jokes between the people who had known each other for a lot longer. Ella had managed to mostly behave herself, and luckily all Elvira’s scandalous tales of Christmases gone by had involved making fun of Rum for the drunken exploits he’d gotten up to whilst he was still a medical student.

Emma gave as good as she got, though, and if her grin was anything to go by, then she seemed to be enjoying herself. She hadn’t taken off her antlers all day, which had made her a huge hit with Rosie who then needed to be firmly persuaded to take off her own in order to go to bed.

Soon enough, though, it was time for Bae and Emma to take their leave. Belle was on the verge of asking them to stay, they had a spare room after all, but she appreciated that they were bright young things and they needed their own space and some time to themselves after a day spent around older friends and relatives who were trying and occasionally failing to be on their best behaviour in front of the newbie.

Belle and Rum escorted them to the door as their taxi pulled up.

“I hope you had a good time,” she said to Emma. “I know that Ella and Mal and Rum can be a bit much when you get them all in the same room together.”

“Oh no, it was brilliant. Thanks so much for inviting me. And thank Aunt Elvira for the food as well, it was amazing.” She smiled. “I’ve gone from having no family to having more family than I know what to do with, and whilst it’s going to take a bit of getting used to, I’d rather have it this way.”

“You’re always very welcome for Christmas. Or any other time of year, of course.”

“Thanks, Belle.”

They said their goodbyes, and Belle gave a happy little sigh as they shut the door on the cold winter’s night and she leaned back against it.

“See, that wasn’t so nerve-wracking, was it?” Rum asked lightly. There was a little smirk at the corner of his mouth, and Belle raised an eyebrow.

“No, it wasn’t.” She paused. “You know, we should probably go back into the living room. We have guests after all.”

“I’m sure that Ella and Ursula can entertain themselves for a little while.” Rum leaned on the door, penning her in with his arms, and Belle hooked her own around his neck. “I mean, with all our visitors and with Rosie waking us up at the crack of dawn to open her presents, we’ve barely had a moment to ourselves all day.”

Belle grinned and leaned in for a kiss. Rum tasted of whisky and Christmas pudding, and she remembered the very first time that she had kissed him, eight years ago today in this very hallway. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it was still so very fresh in her mind, and she still felt the same thrill.

“Ahem.”

A cough from the living room doorway had them breaking apart like guilty teenagers, which had also happened the first time that they’d kissed. Elvira was standing there, arms folded, looking stern but with that twinkle in her eye that betrayed her true feelings.

“Young love,” she muttered. “Bae and Emma I’d understand, but you two are supposed to be sedate and responsible, not necking in the hallway.”

“Aunt Elvira, if the tales you were telling of my college days were anything to go by, then you’ll know full well that I have never been sedate and responsible,” Rum retorted.

“Well, that’s true. Are you coming back in here or not?”

Rum looked at Belle grinned, and shook his head.

“Not just yet, Aunt Elvira.”

She rolled her eyes and went back into the living room, closing the door firmly behind her. Belle giggled and pulled her husband in for another kiss.

God, she loved this family.


End file.
